1. Money really does grow on the 'Cinematic Universe' tree! An exploration of Disney and Marvel
Studios interconnected world.
'In 2014, franchises are not a big part of the movie business. They are not the biggest part of the
movie business. They are the movie business. Period. Twelve of the year’s 14 highest grossers are,
or will spawn, sequels'1
'Hollywood is set to saturate cinemas with high-octane superhero films until 2019 … If you hate
comic-book movies, it might be a good idea to stay away from multiplexes for the next five years'2
The UK box office accumulated £1083 million in 2013,3
72.7%4
of which was acquired from films
wholly or partly financed by American investment. As one of the Hollywood Majors, The Walt
Disney Company (Disney) generated 15.28%5
of that entire UK box office from merely six of its
total releases. Two of these six films were produced through its subsidiary production company
Marvel Studios and added to the 'Cinematic Universe' they have developed, which has to date
grossed $343,746,1886
in the UK alone. This figure and observations such as the quotes opening
this research paper indicate the situation of Hollywood franchise filmmaking that limits choice for
British cinemagoers and dominates box office earnings. Commenting on the advantages that favour
Hollywood Majors, John Hill7
notes that scale of production, concentration of resources, size and
value of domestic market, and control of international distribution networks for foreign markets
such as the UK provide them: '… with such an overwhelming economic advantage that British
producers have little prospect of competing on equal terms with them even in their home market'.8
In view of this considerable impact on the British film industry, this essay will explore the
commercial desirability of the expanding Cinematic Universe model and the resulting effect it has
upon distribution and exhibition within the British marketplace. In what follows I will analyse the
Marvel Cinematic Universe which began in 2008 with the release of Iron Man9
and to date
1
Mark Harris, 'The Birdcage', Grantland Website, (2014)
2
Ben Child, 'Sky-high expectations for Marvel's super-slate of comic book movies', The Guardian Website, (2014)
3
BFI, 'Statistical Yearbook 2014', BFI Website, (2014) p. 10
4
BFI, (2014), p. 17
5
BFI, (2014), p. 22
6
Box Office Mojo, 'United Kingdom Box Office', Box Office Mojo Website, (2015)
7
Hill, John., 'British Film Policy', in Albert Moran, Film Policy: International, National and Regional Perspectives
(London: Routledge, 1996) pp. 101-113
8
John Hill, (1996), p. 107
9
Iron Man, directed by Jon Favreau (Marvel Studios: USA, 2008)

2. incorporates eleven films. Through investigation of the distribution and marketing strategies that led
to the films exhibition in British cinemas, I will assess the financial appeal of the Cinematic
Universe model they operate within. Further to this I will also review comments from such
academics as Finola Kerrigan10
and Robert Marich,11
who critique the function and techniques of
marketing within the context of film advertising.
The overwhelming position on British cinema screens achieved by American produced films
is not merely a contemporary concern. Numerous critics exploring the British film industry, such as
Andrew Higson12
and Lester Friedman,13
have attempted to trace the origin of such circumstances
of dominance. Higson's investigation on the construction of a national cinema led him to suggest
the situation has existed since at least the early 1920s.14
Friedman reaches the same conclusion
through his analysis of attempted government intervention in the form of quota introducing film
acts. He suggests that: 'In spite of these and other measures to spur British productions, American
films dominated the British film market from the early days of the cinema until the present time'.15
Highlighting the dominance that Friedman suggests, Table 1 emphasises the majority share of the
UK box office earned by American productions in a recent ten-year period. There are several
factors within the production, distribution, and marketing of these products that can account for
their success, all of which depend on access to substantial financing. This is first required during
production as exemplified by the least expensive production at the UK box office top twenty in
2013 which cost $61 million,16
instantly reducing access for competition. Once the film is ready for
cinemas it requires distribution to exhibitors and marketing toward potential audiences. To add to
the already vast production costs, Robert Marich17
in his extensive guide to marketing as it exists in
the film industry notes: 'A major-studio film typically opens with a launch campaign consuming
10
Finola Kerrigan, Film Marketing, (Oxford: Butterworth, 2010) ; Kerrigan, Finola., 'Marketing in the film industry', in
Finola Kerrigan, Peter Fraser and Mustafa Özbilgin, Arts Marketing (Oxford: Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann, 2004)
pp. 26-41
11
Robert Marich, Marketing to Moviegoers: A Handbook of Strategies and Tactics, 3rd
edition (Carbondale: Southern
Illinois University Press, 2013)
12
Andrew Higson, Waving the Flag: Constructing a National Cinema in Britain, (Oxford: Oxford University Press,
1995)
13
Friedman, Lester., 'The Empire Strikes Out: An American Perspective on the British Film Industry', in Lester
Friedman, Fires Were Started: British Cinema and Thatcherism, 2nd
edition (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota
Press, 1993) pp. 1-11
14
Andrew Higson, (1995), p. 19
15
Lester Friedman, (1993), p. 1
16
BFI, (2014) p. 10 ; Box Office Mojo, 'Les Miserables', Box Office Mojo Website, (2015)
17
Robert Marich, (2013)

3. $30 million to $50 million in paid ads'.18
The recent comic-book film Guardians of the Galaxy19
extended this figure to a reported $100 million for its international advertisements and publicity.20
Year Annual UK box
office
Number of films receiving
part or whole US financial
support within the top 20 UK
box office highest grossing
US accumulated
gross
US share of the
total UK box
office
2013 £1083 million 20 £551.2 million 72.70%
2012 £1099 million 19 £624.5 million 61.50%
2011 £1040 million 18 £448.62 million 60.10%
2010 £988 million 19 £482.11 million 71.80%
2009 £944 million 19 £523.78 million 81.00%
2008 £850 million 20 £463.77 million 65.20%
2007 £821 million 17 £383.85 million 67.70%
2006 £762 million 20 £416.84 million 77.10%
2005 £770 million 20 £461.97 million 63.10%
2004 £770 million 20 £406.12 million 73.20%
Table 1: US success at UK box office between 2004 and 201321
The awareness then created through marketing these products increases their desirability to
exhibitors as they bring in revenue from both admission tickets and also concession sales. This is of
great importance for profit generation as Angus Finney,22
in his exploration of international film
business, notes that exhibitors have traditionally made the majority of their income from ticket
receipts combined with concession sales.23
As distributors have such a valuable product they are
able to arrange preferable terms with exhibitors in relation to their percentage share of box office
receipts, amount of screens and showings their film is allocated, and the minimum number of
screening weeks. Each stage of this high finance chain contributes to overwhelming dominance for
18
Robert Marich, (2013), p. 10
19
Guardians of the Galaxy, directed by James Gunn (Marvel Studios: USA, 2014)
20
Steve Dow, 'What's wrong with Australian cinema?', The Guardian Website, (2014)
21
BFI, 'Statistical Yearbook 2002-2015', BFI Website, (2015)
22
Angus Finney, The International Film Business: A Market Guide Beyond Hollywood, (Oxon: Routledge, 2010)
23
Angus Finney, (2010), p. 88

4. the top ten distributors in the UK market as Table 2 shows. Between the years of 2008 and 2013 the
top ten distributors, of which eight or nine were American depending on the year, had an average
market share of 94.33% of the entire UK box office.24
Copious expenditure can be accommodated
due to the vertically integrated model that the major Hollywood studios utilise whereby they
purchase: '… other companies involved in different stages of the process of production and
circulation'.25
For example, Disney own their subsidiary production company Marvel Studios and
also their distribution division Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Due to their ownership of each
entity, the losses and potentially vast profits that Table 1 portrays, all contribute to the same
company. With vast sums outgoing per production there is a large risk attached if just one film does
not succeed. In his exploration of the cultural industries, David Hesmondhalgh suggests that
'formatting'26
a cultural product through its stars or genre can decrease the likelihood of a miss. This
can account for Hollywood's desire for sequels and franchises as the opening Grantland quote
suggests, and why the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a desirable model.
Year Top ten distributors share of the
UK market
Percentage of total UK box
office from opening weekends
2013 96.00% 28.00%
2012 95.00% 27.00%
2011 94.00% 28.00%
2010 94.00% 29.00%
2009 92.00% 26.00%
2008 95.00% 27.00%
Table 2: Distributors domination of UK market27
24
BFI, (2014), p. 93 ; BFI, 'Statistical Yearbook 2013', BFI Website, (2013) p. 104 ; BFI, 'Statistical Yearbook 2012',
BFI Website, (2012) p. 86 ; BFI, 'Statistical Yearbook 2011', BFI Website, (2011) p. 76 ; BFI, 'Statistical Yearbook
2010', BFI Website, (2010) p. 60 ; BFI, 'Statistical Yearbook 2009', BFI Website, (2009) p. 68
25
David Hesmondhalgh, The Cultural Industries, 2nd
edition (London: SAGE Publications 2007) p. 22
26
David Hesmondhalgh, (2007), p. 23
27
Data from: Box Office Mojo Website, (2015) ; BFI Statistical Yearbook 2002-2015, (2015)

5. The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a shared fictional world populated by characters
appearing in Marvel comics. According to The Guardian the term did not exist prior to 2008 when
Marvel debuted their first 'superhero epic'.28
Each individual Marvel Studios produced film takes
place within this wider interconnected world, can feature any number of Marvel characters, and
through narrative events alter the shared environment for future instalments. As Table 3 displays,
each individual film is financially lucrative at the British box office and therefore commercially
desirable as they separately exist. Elevating the MCU model is the exploitable value created to
marketing and distribution through the interconnected world. The success of a previously released
film, for example Iron Man or Thor,29
can be referenced through the marketing campaign for later
entries such as Avengers Assemble.30
Elements such as character inclusion and their attire on a
poster, or specific dialogue and visual sequences within a trailer may suggest to potential audiences
the enjoyment they previously experienced. In addition to alluding to past success, each film may
further introduce elements to be explored in future films therefore acting as advertisements
themselves. In his exploration of Marvel Studios, Derek Johnson notes this as fostering: '… not just
narrative expansion but also an audience participation'.31
Such an example could be Thor's hammer
appearing in Iron Man 2,32
or as Empire suggests in their review of the same film: 'As for (Scarlett)
Johansson … her character is not the villain some predicted, more a walking teaser trailer for The
Avengers'.33
The subsequent effect to the distribution process is then an increased product value
when dealing with exhibitors through increased audience awareness and potential ticket and
concession sales. Referring to Table 3 and the number of Disney owned films in the top twenty
highest grossing, it could be suggested that as time passes and the MCU expands, each film is
building on the previous entries success and therefore its market share to place it within the top
twenty at the UK box office. This could be attributed both to an increased audience and preferable
distribution deals per product, stipulating longer theatrical runs and occupying more screens per
site. Further suggestive of the value the MCU model holds is that it disproves the 'rule of thumb'
that Robert Marich highlights in that: '… sequels typically don’t match the box office of their
predecessors'.34
28
Ben Child, 'Who I gotta call to stop the Ghostbusters universe expanding?', The Guardian Website, (2015)
29
Thor, directed by Kenneth Branagh (Marvel Studios: USA, 2011)
30
Avengers Assemble, directed by Joss Whedon (Marvel Studios: USA, 2012)
31
Derek Johnson, 'Cinematic Destiny: Marvel Studios and the Trade Stories of Industrial Convergence', Cinema
Journal, 52 (2012), p. 7
32
Iron Man 2, directed by Jon Favreau (Marvel Studios: USA, 2010)
33
Nick de Semlyn, 'Iron Man 2', Empire Website, (2010)
34
Marich, (2013), p. 260

6. MCU film Production cost UK box office
gross
Number of Disney films in UK
box office 20 highest grossing
Guardians of the
Galaxy (2014)
$232.3 million $47,385,948 N/A
Captain America: The
Winter Soldier (2014)
$170 million $32,230,026 N/A
Thor: The Dark World
(2013)
Including Marketing
$235 million
$31,811,834 6
Iron Man 3 (2013) Including Marketing
$375 million
$57,074,453 6
Avengers Assemble
(2012)
$220 million $80,563,081 4
Captain America: The
First Avenger (2011)
$140 million $14,752,839 2
Thor (2011) $150 million $22,521,717 2
Iron Man 2 (2010) $170 million $30,456,328 3
The Incredible Hulk
(2008)
$150 million $16,227,041 3
Iron Man (2008) $150 million $10,722,921 3
Table 3: Production cost and UK box office gross of Marvel Cinematic Universe films35
Thor: The Dark World36
grossed $9,290,11737
more than its predecessor Thor during its
theatrical run on British screens. Being the eighth release within the MCU it featured characters and
other elements already established to audiences, facilitating points of reference within its
advertisements. However, this did not equate to a reduced marketing campaign assuming high
35
Data from: Box Office Mojo Website, (2015) ; BFI Statistical Yearbook 2002-2015, (2015) ; Steve Dow, 'What's
wrong with Australian cinema?', The Guardian Website, (2014) ; Brooks Barnes, 'Robust Opening of 'Iron Man 2' and
Summer Films', The New York Times Website, (2010) ; Pamela McClintock, 'From 'Iron Man 3' to 'Hangover III': The
Profit Breakdown of May's Blockbusters', The Hollywood Reporter Website, (2013)
36
Thor: The Dark World, directed by Alan Taylor (Marvel Studios: USA, 2013)
37
Box Office Mojo, 'Thor', Box Office Mojo Website, (2015) ; Box Office Mojo, 'Thor: The Dark World', Box Office
Mojo Website, (2015)

7. audience numbers, the costly production budget required marketing saturation to attain enormous
box office returns. In their guide to marketing, Mark Tadajewski and Douglas Brownlie38
note that
the marketing process is: '… concerned with meeting and satisfying customer needs'.39
It is further,
as Philip Drake40
highlights, not simply reactive to trends, but also involved in creating and
stimulating demand.41
As such, Thor: The Dark World demanded attention through two trailers, six
TV spots, and numerous posters both globally broad and nationally specific. In doing so it
effectively locked out any advertising competition due to the financial cost incurred which only a
large studio could afford. Nicholas Garnham in his critique of Capitalism and Communication42
distills the situation as such:
Advertising expenditure has always played an important role in the oligopolistic control of
markets. It stimulates demand and maintains market shares where price competition is
mutually disadvantageous to the firms involved. It further serves to defend the market
against new entrants by raising the price of entry.43
The commercial success that can, in part, be attributed to the marketing campaign was an opening
weekend gross of £8,668,172 from 522 sites.44
The other new releases sharing that weekend, of
which there were fifteen originating from Britain and abroad, took £2,308,164 combined45
for an
average of £153,877 per release. Further proof of the MCU's marketing desirability, as well as its
reductive effect to other releases, resides in its five week duration within the top ten grossing films a
fortnight of which it held the top position. In addition to the financial ability to reduce competitors
through advertisements is the previously mentioned referential quality created through past film
entries. I would suggest, and Kerrigan's46
analysis of film marketing would agree, that adhering to
38
Tadajewski, Mark and Douglas Brownlie., 'Critical Marketing: A Limit Attitude', in Mark Tadajewski and Douglas
Brownlie, Critical Marketing: Issues in Contemporary Marketing (West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 2008) pp. 1-
28
39
Mark Tadajewski and Douglas Brownlie, (2008), p. 1
40
Drake, Philip., 'Distribution and Marketing in Contemporary Hollywood', in Paul McDonald and Janet Wasko, The
Contemporary Hollywood Film Industry (Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2008) pp. 43-62
41
Philip Drake, (2008), p. 66
42
Nicolas Garnham, Capitalism and Communication: Global Culture and the Economics of Information (London:
SAGE Publications Ltd, 1990)
43
Nicolas Garnham, (1990), p. 201
44
Charles Gant, 'Thor sequel hammers all opposition, while Philomena shows gentle class', The Guardian Website,
(2013)
45
Charles Gant, (2013)
46
Finola Kerrigan, (2010)

8. conventional methods of presenting films avoids misinterpretation by consumers to the benefits that
may be derived from the product.47
As such there is a remarkable similarity apparent between
Images 1 & 2, global posters displaying two films in the MCU released in close proximity.
Image 1: Iron Man 3 Poster48
Image 2: Thor: The Dark World Poster49
Iron Man 350
out grossed both its predecessors combined and the poster for Thor: The Dark World
can be read as attempting to imitate this success. They both feature the embrace of their two top
billed actors in the exact same pose; display the film title and cast list (of which the same font, text
size and colour is utilised) in the same position, reveal the antagonist in the top corner of the frame;
have other prominent characters in smaller scale surrounding the central pair, and further elements
inducing reference points for previous audiences dotting the design.
47
Finola Kerrigan, (2010), p. 130
48
Image 1: Collider, 'Iron Man 3 Poster', Collider Website (2013)
49
Image 2: Collider, 'Thor: The Dark World Poster', Collider Website (2013)
50
Iron Man 3, directed by Shane Black (Marvel Studios: USA, 2013)

9. Analysis regarding the evolving design and content of poster advertisements within the
MCU suggests a further appeal it possesses resides in the cast of stars. Due to the large budgets of
these projects they are simultaneously able to attract and afford to employ famous actors, who
Finney identifies: '… are an essential ingredient in making cinema reach people'.51
This can be
attributed to performers popularity providing a further incentive or attraction to audiences who they
appeal to. Additionally, they provide a point of differentiation and brand distinction from other
products, especially when a star has become synonymous with a character such as Robert Downey
Jr and Iron Man. Avengers Assemble was the first film within the MCU that drew together a
collection of its individual characters to appear together. This provided one film the chance to
display multiple stars which it embraced and heavily suggested through advertising, such as in
Image 3. Opening in 521 sites the film grossed £15,778,07452
in its first weekend and remained
within the top ten grossing for a further seven weeks. Attracting large audience numbers and
detrimentally affecting the thirteen other new releases can be seen from their average gross of just
£21,735.53
It has been noted by Marich,54
among other commentators,55
that contractual
requirements for acting talent can affect the positioning and size of their name in advertisements
and film credits. In regards to marketing campaigns utilising posters, Marich suggests that the left-
hand position is considered more favourable.56
Applying this information to advertisements and
combining box office information can reveal those stars most profitable at the time and therefore
increasingly highlighted through marketing. As mentioned, Avengers Assemble was the first film
combining multiple characters. Image 3 showcases Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr) and Thor (Chris
Hemsworth) through their scale and placement at the front of the poster. At this point in the MCU
they were the highest grossing characters with Iron Man entries accumulating $41,229,24957
and
Thor in the next highest position with $22,521,717.58
Receiving less emphasis and partially
obscured by another characters hair is Captain America (Chris Evans). The reason for his low
prominence could be attributed to his considerably weaker box office performance of
51
Angus Finney, The State of European Cinema: A New Dose of Reality (London: Cassell, 1996) p. 52
52
Charles Gant, 'Avengers Assemble blows Battleship out of the water', The Guardian Website, (2012)
53
Charles Gant, (2012)
54
Robert Marich, (2013)
55
Finola Kerrigan, (2004)
56
Robert Marich, (2013), p. 19
57
Box Office Mojo, 'Iron Man', Box Office Mojo Website, (2015) ; Box Office Mojo, 'Iron Man 2, Box Office Mojo
Website, (2015) ; Box Office Mojo, 'Iron Man 3, Box Office Mojo Website, (2015)
58
Box Office Mojo, 'Thor', Box Office Mojo Website, (2015) ; Box Office Mojo, 'Thor: The Dark World', Box Office
Mojo Website, (2015)

10. $14,752,839,59
still dominating other film releases and the British box office though. Three years
later, after further individual outings, these characters were again reunited for Avengers: Age of
Ultron60
and Image 4 visualises their changing commercial value. Possibly the most striking
character advancement is that made by Captain America,61
he is now arguably the most prominent
and well positioned. This may be due to Captain America: The Winter Soldier62
being the highest
grossing second individual character instalment in the MCU, providing his character the greatest
advertising value at the time. Scott Mendelson63
observes these marketing alterations and in his
analysis suggests that for Chris Evans character this: '… counts as a major promotion from the first
poster when he was way in the background obliviously standing on a random car’.64
Image 3: Avengers Assemble Poster65
Image 4: Avengers: Age of Ultron Poster66
59
Box Office Mojo, 'Captain America: The First Avenger', Box Office Mojo Website, (2015)
60
Avengers: Age of Ultron, directed by Joss Whedon (Marvel Studios: USA, 2015)
61
Captain America, directed by Joe Johnston (Marvel Studios: USA, 2011)
62
Captain America: The Winter Soldier, directed by Anthony & Joe Russo (Marvel Studios: USA, 2014)
63
Scott Mendelson, ''Avengers: Age of Ultron' Poster Gets Comically Claustrophobic', Forbes Website, (2015)
64
Scott Mendelson, (2015)
65
Image 3: Free Though Blogs, 'Avengers Assemble Poster', Free Thought Blogs Website (2012)
66
Image 4: Film School Rejects, 'Avengers: Age of Ultron Poster', Film School Rejects Website (2015)

11. Until this point, analysis has concentrated on static advertising images in the British
marketplace. However, marketing domination facilitated by large budgets and opportunities for new
products created by the cinematic universe model are able to utilise further mediums, such as
trailers and television spots. Marich notes that in creating trailers:
… no one is shy about being derivative. A trailer that reminds moviegoers of hit films from
the past is considered effective in selling the new film, and a new trailer may imitate the
style of an old trailer.67
One of the many trailers for Avengers Assemble features a voiceover introducing the squad to be
assembled, each character then provides a simple to comprehend reminder to audiences of who they
are. Given that his films were the highest grossing and therefore making him the most valuable
marketing asset, it is unsurprising that Iron Man is afforded the most screen time. More obviously
derivative is the referential content of two trailers for films following Avengers Assemble, which as
Table 4 shows, grossed a considerable sum. Both trailers for Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World
feature scenes discussing the concluding Avengers battle, which was the most explosive and longest
set piece of that film. Lazily, or perhaps intelligently on the part of its creator, one trailer for
Avengers: Age of Ultron does not just include reminders of the success of its prior MCU releases. It
also mimics the trailer itself for one of those films in its use and similar content of antagonist
voiceover and thematic visuals. If the connections identified here can be drawn from just several
examples, then the plethora of trailers, teasers, and TV spots for each MCU film visualised by Table
4 hints at the possibility to echo a huge amount of previous success. These figures not only suggest
the exposure each MCU film receives, they also compound the negative effect toward any theatrical
challenge. Such competition could be in the form of British domestic films which as Roy Stafford68
notes, in his exploration of how the film industry perceives audiences, how few UK independent
distributors could afford the advertising cost of a major studio release, especially not on a regular
basis.69
For Disney and Marvel this is now regular business as their model has two or three MCU
films scheduled for release every year until 2019.70
67
Robert Marich, (2013), p. 31
68
Roy Stafford, Understanding Audiences and the Film Industry (London: BFI, 2007)
69
Roy Stafford, (2007), p. 61
70
Andrew Wheeler, 'Your Supermovie Timeline [Infographic]', Comics Alliance, (2014)

12. MCU film Marketing cost Number of trailers,
teasers & TV spots
Number of
sites opening
in
Opening weekend
box office gross
Total UK box office
gross
Guardians of the
Galaxy (2014)
International $100
million
2 Trailers
1 Teaser
7 TV Spots
554 £6,363,110.00 $47,385,948
Captain America:
The Winter Soldier
(2014)
N/A 2 Teasers
2 Trailers
10 TV Spots
535 sites £6,040,000.00 $32,230,026
Thor: The Dark
World (2013)
Including
Production Budget
$235 million
1 Teaser
1 Trailer
6 TV Spots
522 £8,670,000.00 $31,811,834
Iron Man 3 (2013) Including
Production Budget
$375 million
2 Trailers
14 TV Spots
555 £13,710,000.00 £49,700,000.00
Avengers Assemble
(2012)
N/A 2 Trailers
14 TV Spots
3 Superbowl
Trailers
521 £15,780,000.00 $80,563,081
Captain America:
The First Avenger
(2011)
N/A 2 Trailers
10 TV Spots
470 £2,980,000.00 $14,752,839
Thor (2011) N/A 2 Trailers
3 TV Spots
500 $9,106,603 $22,521,717
Iron Man 2 (2010) Global $170
million
2 Trailers 521 £7,660,000.00 $30,456,328
The Incredible Hulk
(2008)
N/A 1 Teaser
1 Trailer
3 TV Spots
484 $6,333,915 $16,227,041
Iron Man (2008) N/A 2 Trailers
2 TV Spots
500 £5,470,000.00 $10,772,921
Table 4: Marketing, distribution, and box office dominance71
71
Data From: BFI Statistical Yearbook 2002-2015, (2015)

13. Two of the eleven currently planned MCU releases are further Avengers films, providing
opportunities for commercially successful characters to re-reunite. The villain of these films is
confirmed to be the enemy that another instalment of characters has to face, ensuring another
crossover opportunity and the resulting box office gross this will generate. The precise plan and
scheduled release dates indicate an enormous confidence from the producers of this cinematic
universe. However, rather than this residing in audience demand for their product, it is due to their
ability to financially overpower competition and dominate marketing and distribution. As shown,
they are able to saturate advertisement platforms and reference their ever-increasing previous
successes to entice audiences. This makes their product the most valuable to exhibitors who require
audiences purchasing tickets and concessions, which Marich suggests accounts for: '… roughly
two-thirds of an exhibitor's operating profit'.72
Searle Kochberg in her analysis of cinema as an
institution summarises that: 'Through their domination of marketing and promotion, the majors
ensure that it is their films that the public wants to see and that cinema owners want to secure for
their cinemas.'73
In the British marketplace this equates to the distributors of the MCU
simultaneously negotiating the best theatrical contracts for their product, whilst also affecting the
arrangements possible for other film releases. As Marich notes: 'Independents often are forced to
take less-desirable release dates because the prime slots are seized by majors.'74
The outcome is a
decrease in competition for screens and an increase in box office potential. Just one exemplification
of this can be seen from the tenth MCU release Guardians of the Galaxy, opening in 554 sites to
over £6 million,75
it out-screened the newly released competition by 412 sites and £6,211,462.76
Additionally, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is now so commercially ferocious that even other
major studios are unwilling to chance competing with them on the same opening weekend. This was
exemplified recently when Disney scheduled the third entry into the Thor series, Thor: Ragnarok77
for release. Fellow Hollywood Major Warner Brothers soon placed their future release Batman v
Superman: Dawn of Justice78
into the same slot. Warner Brothers assumed that due to the previous
value of their characters on screen, Marvel Studios and Disney would back down in fear of the box
office risk. This is because, as Robert Marich notes: 'Film distributors, who choose release dates,
72
Robert Marich, (2013), p. 293
73
Kochberg, Searle., 'Cinema as institution', in Jill Nelmes, An Introduction to Film Studies, 2nd
edition (London:
Routledge, 1999), p. 30
74
Robert Marich, (2013), p. 263
75
Charles Gant, 'Guardians of the Galaxy rockets to top spot in UK box office debut', The Guardian Website, (2014)
76
Charles Gant, (2014)
77
Thor: Ragnarok, directed by N/A (Marvel Studios: USA, 2017)
78
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (DC Entertainment: USA, 2016)

14. jockey for the best positions but also try to avoid suicidal confrontations.'79
The eventual result was
the movement of release by Warner Brothers, cited over the need for further production work.
Highlighting how desirable the MCU proves to be for exhibitors is epitomised by the recent change
to the percentage of box office takings that Disney negotiated. Usually receiving 47.7%80
of
receipts, they have for their latest release Avengers: Age of Ultron, increased their demand to
53%.81
Only in Germany are exhibitors refusing the increase, leading a spokesperson to declare
their resistance a serious threat capable of forcing cinemas to close,82
such is their dependance on
the income it would generate. In Britain, Avengers: Age of Ultron grossed £18 million from its
opening in 585 sites,83
the next two highest grossing releases The Falling84
and A Pigeon Sat On A
Branch Reflecting On Existence,85
shared an opening of £178,732 from 75 sites.86
It could be
suggested that without British exhibitors agreeing to Disney's demands they would have failed to
attract large audiences, seriously affecting their income and ability to operate, leaving them
effectively forced to accept Disney's demands.
Testament to the desirability of the Cinematic Universe model that Marvel and Disney have
seemingly perfected is the imitation attempted by the other major Hollywood studios. Crossover
worlds being planned include Universal's classical monsters,87
Sony's Robin Hood88
and
Ghostbusters,89
Paramount's Transformers90
and Warner Brothers own superhero behemoth.91
Those who can afford to risk the capital required for production and subsequent marketing of their
products may be able to replicate the MCU's success. As I have shown, this lucrative cycle involves
upcoming releases marketing elements of previous success, the advertising of future instalments
through the narrative of the current film, the occasional combination of the most commercially
successful characters, and the resulting box office boost to the films following the record breaking
79
Robert Marich, (2013), p. 265
80
Benjamin Lee, 'Avengers: Age of Ultron boycotted by hundreds of German cinemas', The Guardian Website, (2015)
81
Benjamin Lee, (2015)
82
Benjamin Lee, (2015)
83
Catherine Shoard, 'Avengers: Age of Ultron beats Fifty Shades for best UK opening since Skyfall', The Guardian
Website, (2015)
84
The Falling, directed by Carol Morley (Independent: UK, 2015)
85
A Pigeon Sat On A Branch Reflecting On Existence, directed by Roy Andersson (4 ½ Film: Sweden, 2015)
86
Catherine Shoard, (2015)
87
Sandy Schaefer, 'Universal Monster Shared Universe Movie Set For Spring 2017 Release', Screenrant Website,
(2014)
88
Hugh Armitage, 'Sony plans shared Robin Hood cinematic universe', Digital Spy Website, (2014)
89
Benjamin Lee, 'Sequels in disguise: Transformers cinematic universe on the way', The Guardian Website, (2015)
90
Benjamin Lee, (2015)
91
Matt Kamen, 'Warners confirms DC cinematic universe with ten new films', Wired Website, (2014)

15. takings of such character combination events. At the time of release Avengers: Age of Ultron
received the biggest opening of 2015, the biggest April opening ever, the biggest ever day for a
superhero movie and Disney's own best-ever day.92
While the obtaining of such impressive titles
has been revealed as detrimental to the exhibition opportunities for other releases in the British
marketplace. As well as to audience awareness of other releases through marketing domination and
decreased theatrical choice from distribution negotiations. The effect to exhibitors and cinema sites
could potentially be catastrophic without the ticket receipts and concession sales they generate. If
this is truly the set of circumstances by which the industry survives, then President of Marvel
Studios Kevin Feige's recent comments about the further expansion of the cinematic universe
should be joyously received. He stated that their twentieth release within the MCU would bring
with it an introduction to '… dozens of characters',93
which he believes '… can be a franchise or a
series of franchises unto themselves'.94
Ultimately, it seems the British exhibition sector is placed
within a situation whereby they depend upon these Cinematic Universes more than the billion dollar
conglomerates that generate them.
92
Catherine Shoard, (2015)
93
Marc Strom, 'Marvel's Inhumans to Populate the Big Screen in 2018', Marvel Website, (2014)
94
Marc Strom, (2014)

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21. Filmography:
Avengers: Age of Ultron. Directed by Joss Whedon. Marvel Studios. USA. 2015
Avengers Assemble. Directed by Joss Whedon. Marvel Studios. USA. 2012
A Pigeon Sat On A Branch Reflecting On Existence. Directed by Roy Andersson. 4 ½ Film.
Sweden. 2015
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Directed by Zack Snyder. DC Entertainment. USA. 2016
Captain America. Directed by Joe Johnston. Marvel Studios. USA. 2011
Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Directed by Anthony & Joe Russo. Marvel Studios. USA.
2014
Guardians of the Galaxy. Directed by James Gunn. Marvel Studios. USA. 2014
Iron Man. Directed by Jon Favreau. Marvel Studios. USA. 2008
Iron Man 2. Directed by Jon Favreau. Marvel Studios. USA. 2010
Iron Man 3. Directed by Shane Black. Marvel Studios. USA. 2013
The Falling. Directed by Carol Morley. Independent. UK. 2015
Thor. Directed by Kenneth Branagh. Marvel Studios. USA. 2011
Thor: Ragnarok. Directed by N/A. Marvel Studios. USA. 2017
Thor: The Dark World. Directed by Alan Taylor. Marvel Studios. USA. 2013